A Father's Love
by ThatKidWithTheUnkeptHair
Summary: A flashback to when 10K was little (Aged 2). His mother leaves him at home and his father comes back to take care of him. Parent cuddling. Will likely be more later. May turn into collection of oneshots.
**So, slightly OOC at times, but every kid is this emotional and cuddly at age two or so. And I channeled that for Tommy/10K. Hope you like it. I just wanted to do a slight family thing for 10K and his father. As you can tell, I do think his mom was a little out there, but it may just be me. I like to think that she was loving, but also up to something.**

Tommy sat in the playpen and scrubbed at his eyes childishly. He couldn't cry. He wouldn't cry. Mommy would be angry if he cried, but Tommy was seriously struggling to keep calm. Mommy had left a few hours ago, giving him a few toys, his Lovey, a blanket, and a pillow. She had given him strict orders as well.

 _'Don't leave your playpen, Tommy! Your Papa will be home in a few hours, but Mommy will be back before he gets home. Just sit tight. Mommy has to go do some work,'_ she'd told him. Tommy had definitely been excited when it started. He loved Mommy, but Daddy let him do a lot on his own, like play in another room while he worked. Tommy didn't understand the difference his Mommy was talking about. He thought she'd be in another room. He was okay until he got really hungry and had to go potty. Then, shit hit the fan.

"Mommy?" he asked with a sniffle. He had pulled himself up on unsteady legs to peer over the top of the playpen. He was looking for anyone! Normally Papa would come running if he called out. Right now, there was no one coming. Tommy felt tears well up in his eyes and he attempted to stuff them down.

When there was no answer to his calls, Tommy fell back onto his bottom and pulled his knees up to his chest. He saw his Lovey and grabbed it, tugging it to his chest and face. Tommy pressed his face into the nice, soft fur. He was attempting to calm down, but it just wasn't working well. He sniffled heavily as he cuddled his bear. Maybe Papa would be home soon. Or Mommy would. He wondered just where his Mommy had went.

Mommy had answered a call in the cell phone she kept hidden in the bathroom. Tommy didn't think Papa knew there was one there. Mommy had said not to tell anyone, especially Papa. Tommy didn't like keeping Mommy's secrets, though. Keeping her secrets could turn out bad. Mommy had answered the phone call and then had set him up in the playpen. Tommy, however, had heard her speaking _Spanish_! Spanish, of all things! Papa had told her that they weren't going to talk in another language because he wanted Tommy to learn to speak English first.

The door finally opened and Tommy flew into a standing position. Tears cascaded down his cheeks as he waited to see who was home. When he heard his Daddy's keys be hung up and his cap be flung onto a table, Tommy began to properly sob. Thomas ran into the room once he'd heard it, bringing his son into view .

"PAPA!" Tommy screamed, holding his hands out to be picked up. His father, Thomas Avery the First, rushed over and swept his son into his arms before cuddly the boy to his chest. Tommy began to sob openly, pressing his head into his father's uniform undershirt. Thomas felt the wet pants his son was now carrying and felt a pang of hurt for his son. They'd just about finished potty training, but this could set them back. Thomas cringed when the wetness begun to seep into his own clothes.

Thomas rocked his son and swayed from side to side, patting his back as he tried to calm the boy down. Where was his wife?! Was she napping? In the bathtub? Hiding? All Thomas knew was that he was a little more than upset. Thomas pressed a sweet kiss into the crown of his son's head and patted his back again. He needed to calm down, but he also figured that his son would have a rather good idea about where his Mommy was.

Hey, Tommy. What's wrong, bud?" Thomas asked, still cringing at the fact his son's pants were wet, and now making his own clothes wet. They were leaking into the undershirt given to him by his US Marine Corps first platoon, after his very first deployment.

Tommy managed to say something between the sobs, but it was muffled into his father's chest. Thomas frowned as he looked at his son, seeing just how upset he was. Tommy was never like this. At the most, he'd sniffle and a few tears would leak down his cheeks. But today, it looked like Tommy was crying himself to death instead of hiding his upset.

"What was that, buddy?" Thomas asked as he slowly made his way to the nursery. With his son being so terribly skinny and small for a two-year-old, they'd been able to keep him in the same crib, but they'd gotten him a very tiny, very safe toddler bed. Thomas had made it himself! His chest always puffed out in pride whenever he saw it. But it was times like this that Thomas was thankful for the bed. Tommy always wanted to lay in the big-boy bed.

When they entered the room, Tommy picked up his head. His eyes were red and so was his face, which upset Thomas deeply. He didn't like his son feeling like this! Tommy scrubbed at his eyes with both hands, letting his father support his body with an arm under his bottom.

"Is it about Mommy? Do you know where she went?"

Tommy nodded visciously, tears popping up into his eyes again. He let out a tiny sob and tried to pull himself together to answer his father.

"Mo-Moh-" There was a sharp intake of air. "Mommy left me! Left me alone! Though you be in 'nother room, Papa. Just left!" Tommy began to really cry, pressing his body against his father's. He put his forehead against his father's left pec, hiccupping violently. Thomas put a hand behind his son's head and gently shushed him, bouncing sweeting and patting his bottom, like a parent would a newborn or a younger toddler.

"G-Got hun'gy and had to potty," Tommy whimpered. "Had to r'elly potty, Papa. I soh'y! Had to go poh'y an'-an'-an'"

"Shhh," Thomas whispered and held him close to his chest. "It's okay, buddy. You just had to really potty. Papa understands, bud. Even Papa had problems with going potty in the toilet. Everyone does! You're okay, buddy."

Thomas' heart did wrench when he realized his son was most likely starving. According to his wife, no one had gotten to eat lunch. She had claimed Tommy was asleep for a nap, but it had been a bit puzzling to Thomas. Thomas had never went to nap before his lunch. That was a fact they'd settled on. Tommy would eat before he took a nap, so he could get all his essential vitamins and nutrients.

Tommy picked his head up and sniffled as he pressed his temple against the peck he'd just been crying into. His eyes were still watery and red from the intense sobbing he'd done. It still looked like he would cry at any time.

"Re'lly?" Tommy asked and pulled himself a little closer to his Papa. His pants were still soaked through. He just wanted to get out of his wet pants and underwear, but his Papa wasn't helping to change him yet.

Thomas smiled at his son and kissed his forehead.

"Of course, Tommy! Everyone has problems with going potty at your age. But maybe we'll use the pull-ups for a day or so? Just to protect from any more accidents?"

Tommy shook his head intently and wiped at his face with the sleeve of his shirt. He sniffed back some snot and then wiped that as well, making his father cringe a little.

"No pu'-ups, Papa. P'ease. Mommy say I need und'wear." His mommy had been adamant to never give her son a single pull-up. It had been something Thomas had wanted, but she had never given her son. With her being home 24/7 with Tommy, she called the shots.

Thomas frowned a little and hiked his son up a little more. He kissed the boy's forehead and then ran through his son's hair.

"Your hair's getting long, buddy! How about Papa cuts your hair and then we do a bath? Because you need a bath because of the accident. But Papa wants to cut your hair, if that's okay?"

Tommy thought for a moment and then nodded. He wiped his nose on his sleeve again before sniffing back more snot.

"'Kay, Papa. I show you Mommy phone?" he asked, thinking his father would really want to know what his mother was into. Besides, his father could say he forgot and then turn the conversation back to his wife, who was obviously hiding something.

Thomas looked puzzled as he held his son close and grabbed some clothes.

"Mommy has a phone? Where?" he asked and grabbed a pair of underwear for his son. They were Camo, which made Tommy happy whenever he saw them.

"In baff'room. Un'er the sick, Papa," Tommy said as he tried to point to a pair of his pajamas. It was a onesie with feet and a hood. It was a lion, his favorite animal. It even had some hair for a mane! His Papa had gotten it for him when he was a year old, but knew he wouldn't be able to wear it yet.

Thomas smiled when he saw his son reaching for the pajama outfit. He took it and passed it to his son.

He was a little baffled at the fact his wife had a phone in the _bathroom_. The Bathroom, of all things! But he decided to brush it off. His son needed his attention.

Thomas brushed his nose against Tommy's nose, grinning as he got a small, weepy giggle from his son. Tommy sniffed and rubbed at his nose again.

"Go take Baff?" he asked, giving his father a small smile. The man nodded and kissed his forehead.

"Yeah, buddy. You done crying?"

Tommy seemed to think for a moment, tears welling into his eyes before he slowly nodded.

"Was scared, Papa. Was all alone an' no Papa. I needed Papa, Papa!" He had such a serious look that Thomas let out a small laugh.

"Well, I think Papa is going to take a few days off to stay with his little man. Plus, Papa needs to talk to Mommy. She shouldn't have left you alone. It's one thing to leave you alone in a room and be in another. It's different than leaving you all alone in the house. My bub was just so scared, huh?"

Tommy nodded, his bottom lip wobbling again. He tried to sniff back the tears and then just pushed himself against his dad.

"Take wet c'othes off?" He felt like his wet clothes were burning his skin.

Thomas' face went red in realization as he grabbed socks and then walked them into the bathroom. He put his son down on the counter and then started the water.

"Do you need to go potty, Tommy?" he asked, helping his son to stand and slide his pants and underwear off. Tommy shrugged and looked around the bathroom.

"Uhhm, dunno Papa. Just pee on acc'dent. So don' think I need to." Thomas nodded and checked the water. He had an idea and smiled, opening the cabinet from the sink. He noticed the cell phone and put it on the counter before getting the bath toys. Tommy didn't normally want to use bath toys, but tonight he deserved to have a few toys. There were also crayons that he could use on the side of the bathtub.

Tommy's face lit up when he saw all the toys. He clapped his hands, a gleeful look on his face.

"Baff toys!" he screeched and then opened his hands out for his toys. "P'eese, Papa? P'eese give?" Tommy made some grabby hands and then let out a little whine to his father. The man let out a tiny laugh and passed them to his son with a kiss to his forehead.

Carefully, when the bath water was ready, Thomas put his son into the bath tub. He helped his son bathe and clean up before getting him out. Once he was dressed, Thomas laid his son against his chest and gave him a little sippy-cup of juice. It was already too late for Tommy to eat, but he could give him something to keep his blood sugar up.

Tommy sucked on the juice slowly, his eyes dipped to half-mast. He looked positively exhausted for someone who had taken a nap. But Thomas could use a nap still. He held the boy to his chest and let him just lay there, drinking his juice slowly.

Tommy suddenly stopped drinking, letting out a tiny pant. He looked up at his father, blinking sleepily.

"Love you, Papa. Love you lots. T'ank you coming home," Tommy said slowly, curling into his father more. He yawned and let the juice fall from his hands, handing in the crook of the couch cushions. He yawned again and peeked up at his Papa.

"S'eep? I go S'eep?" he asked and slid a thumb into his mouth. He hadn't done this for so long, but Thomas figured he could use it after the day his son had had. He looked so sweet and so little. Thomas missed when his son was an infant and he could lay like this all day. Tommy was always so cute when he was little.

"Yeah, buddy. You go sleep, buddy. Papa has you."

Tommy smiled behind his thumb and then sucked it deeper. He slid his eyes close and relaxed on his father's chest. His hand relaxed, becoming unfurled so that it was curled around his nose while he sucked his thumb. Thomas grinned and gently stroked through his son's hair, holding him close and comforting the boy.

"Love you too, Tommy. I love you, buddy. Papa will always be here, even if he has to quit the Marines to protect his baby boy. But Papa has you, even if Mommy doesn't all the time." He whispered it to his son, then holding him close. He just wanted to hold his son. No one could take that away from him.


End file.
